Even Angels Fall
by Mary10
Summary: NEW FIC!!! After Abby is attacked by Brian she turns to Carter for love and she turns back to the bottle for support. CARBY!!!!
1. Devil's Got A New Disguise

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters no matter how much I wish I did.  
  
  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I would like to apologize in advance for the first chapter. It pretty much just describes what happened on t.v. during the attack but I have to include this part to set the mood for the rest of the story Chapter two may sound somewhat familiar too as I HAVE to include the hospital scene. even though I'll be changing much of it.  
  
  
  
******************** Abby's apartment had warmed up while she had been in the shower. It had been a long day and all she longed for was a lengthy, hot shower. With her terry cloth robe draped around her shoulders and tied lightly at her waist, her hair wet, she reached for the tea kettle and set it on the stove top.  
  
Click click.  
  
The aroma of gas tainted the air as a flame emerged from beneath the kettle. She stared into the small conflagration for a long moment, not really seeing the blaze but, rather, looking through it. Her eyes slowly strayed from tiny inferno and came to rest on the glass of red wine, which sat maliciously staring back from the faded and aged countertop beside her.  
  
Abby's mouth went dry and the right corner of her bottom lip leisurely slipped underneath her teeth. Her arm rose from where it had been resting on her hip. She grasped the cold, transparent goblet and lifted it, bringing the addiction back to her lips after a five-year absence. The icy liquor slid effortlessly down her throat.  
  
The high-pitched ringing of the phone caused her to recoil, spilling only small drops of wine on the off-white tiles of the kitchen floor.  
  
"Damnit!" she scolded herself, wiping the wine residue from her chin.  
  
Quickly placing the glass back on the counter, she stepped carefully over the drips of red liquid on the floor as she stretched for the phone.  
  
"Hello?" she answered, sounding a bit annoyed.  
  
Joyce's voice came from the other end of the receiver. She had been in the battered women's shelter for no longer than a few hours. She sounded as if she had been crying... or maybe just upset. Joyce thanked Abby numerous times for helping her find the courage to leave Brian. This call was just a follow-up though. They spoke about how Joyce was doing and what she thought of the center thus far.  
  
Abby's hand fondled her still-wet hair, trying to work the small knots that had begun forming due to lack of being brushed. The obnoxious sound of the door buzzer grabbed her attention away from her phone conversation with Joyce. Abby answered the buzz, resulting in her allowing the "deliveryman" in with her order. She continued her conversation with Joyce, going on to tell her that she did the right thing. Again Abby was interrupted, this time by a knocking at the door. Her eyes rolled slowly up to the ceiling as she realized that she was never going to be allowed to get dressed and dry her hair. She brought the phone over to her other ear and started towards the door. She opened the door, exposing the nightmare in the hallway. Her eyes fell on Brain as shock and panic set in immediately. Suddenly she couldn't hear anything Joyce was saying to her, she could see nothing but the figure standing on the opposite side of the door. In his hands he holds her order, which she has been awaiting.  
  
"Um... I'll-uh... I'll have to call you back" she said hoarsely into the phone, pressing the 'off' button but never taking her eyes off of Brian.  
  
With an evil and spiteful grin on his face he finally spoke after the awkward moment of panic that Abby had experienced.  
  
"Dinner's on me".  
  
He calmly began his forged speech, explaining that he has a problem and he just needs to get some help.  
  
"But I still love my wife. I promise I won't hurt her," he exclaimed, finishing off his pitiful display.  
  
"Well... uh... County Social Services can get her a letter," Abby choked out, nervously.  
  
"Then she's in a group home?" Brian asked, clearly beginning to pry.  
  
"I can't talk to you about this".  
  
"I just want to be sure she's all right," Brian persisted.  
  
"She will be," Abby assured him, pointedly.  
  
"But she's my life," he pleaded softly, "She's everything to me. Abby, please, where is she?"  
  
As Abby became more and more nervous, wanting more than anything to just slam the door shut and call the police, his voice became more forceful.  
  
"Where is she?" he demanded.  
  
"Its time for you to go," she shouted, attempting to sound strong, and threatening to call the police on him.  
  
"You're right, you're right, I should go... I'm sorry," Brian agrees, leaving the apartment voluntarily.  
  
Abby quickly bolted the door shut and slid the chain lock into place, exhaling a deep breath, which she had been holing in for what seemed like and hour. She turned her back to the door and let herself fall back against the hollow wood. However, her heart hadn't slowed a beat when a startling know came back to the door. Again it was Brain... only now he was really angry. Abby's hand flew immediately to her face, covering her eyes in absolute terror. She fretfully began dialing 911, unbolting the heavy lock on the door. A low whistle slowly began to rise from the kitchen as the water in her kettle had reached its boiling point. Holding the phone to her ear, Abby cracks open the door, revealing Brian's insane eyes glaring back at her.  
  
As the 911 operator answered Abby's attempted plea for help, Brian forced himself into the apartment, slamming against the door and snapping the chain in half.  
  
"Brian! Brian!!!" Abby managed to desperately cry out his name twice before his solid fist hit her face, sending Abby sprawling to the floor, unconscious.  
  
**********  
  
Before she even opened her eyes, Abby could feel the sharp pain shooting through her skull like jagged stones. She regained consciousness a little bit at a time. Slowly opening her eyes, Abby could feel the warm fluid slowly seeping down her face. She brought her hand up to meet her lips, which were now releasing large amounts of the thick, red substance.  
  
The kettle continued whistling on the stove; it was much higher pitched now and screeched on as Abby struggled to her feet. Taking notice of her blood- soaked robe, Abby began to remember what happened. Once to her feet, Abby continued to struggle, heading for the door immediately. She shut and bolted it, reaching for the chain, only to realize that it had been snapped in half... she took note of it dangling uselessly from the frame.  
  
Abby turned to face the rest of her apartment, spotting her take-out dinner on the table. Once again, that same familiar panic set in when Abby began to realize that Brian could still be in the apartment. She spotted the phone lying on the floor beside her pool of blood, and snatched it, quickly headed for the bathroom and locking the door behind her. Once securely inside the small room she turned, only to catch sight of herself in the mirror. Abby stopped instantly, shocked and horrified by her reflection. Her swollen, bloody face looks a mess... like it will never heal.  
  
Soon the distinct sound of ambulance and police sirens can be heard all down the street. The strong intense red and blue flashing lights reflected off the wall.  
  
********** Thanks for reading! I promise it WILL get more original in the next few chapters. I just had to set the mood. 


	2. Black Eyes, Blue Tears

Abby's head throbbed and the skin on her face felt tight where the blood had dried. The room was dimly lit and abnormally warm, yet somewhat comforting to Abby... though that may have just been the company she kept, rather than her surroundings. She stared down at the white bed sheets, which wrinkled beneath the weight of her body, as Carter performed the initial assessment. She avoided looking him in the eye for fear of what his expression may reveal about his thoughts. Humiliation began to set in as she could slowly feel the swelling in her face becoming worse. There was a light tap at the door as it opened slowly to reveal Susan.  
  
"Hey, can I come in?" she asked, not really waiting for an answer but rather shocked at what she saw upon poking her head in.  
  
Susan stepped gradually towards the bed, finding it unfeasible to remove her eyes from Abby's distended facial wounds.  
  
Abby suddenly became very aware of Carter's gentle touch as he examined her abrasions.  
  
"How long were you unconscious for?" he asked in comforting tone.  
  
"I don't know," she replied after a slight hesitation.  
  
"Abby, how- what happened?" Susan asked, finally finding words for this display of abuse lying helplessly in front of her.  
  
Abby brought her small, cold hand to her forehead, aspiring for the intense pain to decline.  
  
"I- my neighbor assaulted me because I helped his wife get into a battered women's shelter and refused to tell him where she is" Abby rushed through her explanation, making it as short as possible, not wanting to remember what had happened.  
  
Carter's expression merged from surprise to concern at this newly-gained knowledge that Brian is Abby's neighbor.  
  
"Could you lie back... I- um need to examine your face" Carter requested in a strange voice, implying that he was not only concerned but also uncomfortable with the situation.  
  
Abby seemed, to some extent, uncomfortable with Carter's tender touch as he massaged her face in search of any structural damage. Susan's hands carefully manipulated Abby's abdomen in search of any internal injuries. When Carter reached the perceptive spot around her nose, where Brian's fist had struck her, Abby recoiled in pain. Abruptly coming to the realization that she's still wearing her front- opening bathrobe, Abby feels exposed and uneasy.  
  
"Could I- could I get a gown?" she requested to the room in general. Connie quickly returned with one in hand, wanting to be of as much help as possible.  
  
Carter unhesitantly turned his back toward Abby, giving her privacy while she changed out of her blood-soaked robe.  
  
"Could I get her a head CT and some morphine for the pain..." Carter began.  
  
"Um... no- no narcotics... could I just have some Tylenol?" Abby chimed in, pulling the gown up around her shoulders.  
  
"Um, Abby... you have a six-centimeter contusion on your inner thigh..." Susan began but then stopped for a moment in awkward hesitation, "Is there a- um chance you could have been raped?"  
  
Carter, his back still turned to Abby and Susan, froze in shock at the mention word.  
  
"Um... I wasn't raped..."  
  
Susan's front teeth gradually appeared, enveloping her bottom lip, "Are you absolutely sure...?"  
  
Wavering, Abby reluctantly admitted that it was, in fact, possible that she could have been raped.  
  
Carter nervously ran a hand through his hair as Susan called for a rape kit.  
  
"I was unconscious, not in a coma!" Abby protested at the sound of the words "rape kit".  
  
Carter still stood with his back turned to Abby, listening, an angry and concerned expression swept over his face. The silence is chilling as nobody can quite find words to speak what's on their minds. Connie strolled back into the room in only a few short minutes, rape kit in hand. At the sight of the kit, Carter could no longer feel his legs. He felt nauseous and grew angrier by the second. Trying to clear his mind of any violent thoughts he may have had towards Brian, Carter made his way to the hallway to await the results of this exam, attempting to prevent his internal fury from taking over.  
  
Inside the exam room, Abby continued to stare down at those white bed sheets as Susan performed the exam. Abby could feel the sting in her eyes, fighting back the tears.  
  
Carter paced back and forth in the hallway, looking heartbroken as images of the brutality that Abby had endured flooded his mind. He couldn't help but imagine Brian raping Abby, taking such a loving act and turning it into ferocity.  
  
Seated at the foot-end of the white-sheeted bed, Susan was relieved and extensively happy to report to Abby that there was no sign of rape.  
  
"You might wanna think about finding a new place to live..." Susan began.  
  
"I'm not moving!" Abby interrupted, "HE'S moving".  
  
Susan released a deep sign into the still and silent room, "You have a non-displaced nasal fracture, but everything else is okay... it could have been a lot worse," she added, attempting to be somewhat of a comfort.  
  
"You should really be careful about getting in the middle of these things".  
  
"I was trying to help her, somebody needed to do SOMETHING" Abby replied, becoming slightly annoyed.  
  
Again trying to lessen the tension, Susan changed the subject, "Is there anyone we can call? You're mom, maybe?"  
  
Abby allowed a small snicker to escape her lips, "I'll be fine".  
  
"Okay, well... you can't go home, not until they catch that guy" Susan replied to this obvious ridicule of her family life. "You're welcome to stay with me if-" Susan started but was again interrupted by a very stubborn Abby.  
  
"-No, thanks though. I'm fine".  
  
Taking a hint that Abby would rather be overly-independent, Susan rose from her chair and started for the door,  
  
"I'll be back in a while with some scrubs for you to change into".  
  
"Susan?" Abby stopped her in the midst of exiting the room, "Thank you... for everything".  
  
*****  
  
Carter stood, still pacing, in the hallway outside of Abby's room when Susan finally emerged.  
  
"The- um- the radiologist cleared her head CT..." he stated, clearly anxiously awaiting some other news. "So, was she...?"  
  
"Oh, no!" Susan quickly replied, forgetting that he had been waiting for the results.  
  
A great wave of relief swept over his face.  
  
"I offered her a safe place to stay until she can find a new apartment but she flat-out refused".  
  
Carter was quiet, contemplating whether or not he should even bother with it...  
  
"Huh... maybe I'll try" he replied as a disputed expression eased its way onto his face.  
  
"Good luck".  
  
"I'll- um- see you later... thanks"  
  
"Yup" Susan responded, not even glancing back at him due to her rush to escape the dismal walls of the ER.  
  
*****  
  
Abby still rested on the bed, now dressed in scrubs which Connie had brought her. Her head rested on the fluffed pillow behind her. Her arms folded across her stomach, almost looking as if she were protecting herself.  
  
Carter knocked gently on the door, not waiting to be told he could enter.  
  
"Hey, are y- how're you feelin'?" he managed to stammer.  
  
"How do I LOOK?" Abby retorted, forging a slight grin.  
  
"Look, I- uh... I was talking to Susan and she mentioned that you declined her offer for a safe place to stay?"  
  
Abby's eyes rolled up toward the ceiling as her head fell back onto the pillow.  
  
"Carter, I just don't-"  
  
"Abby, the guy assaulted you. You can't possibly be considering going back to that building..."  
  
"Well, what do you WANT me to do?! I don't want to impo-" she began, exasperated and growing increasingly irritated with his persistence.  
  
"I WANT you to be safe!" he barked back at her, initiating another awkward silence. "You can stay with me..." he commenced.  
  
Abby allowed another small snicker to escape her lips, "Carter, I- that just wouldn't-"  
  
"Abby, please, I just wanna see you get better without getting the crap beat out of you again by some..." he stopped, realizing the increase in volume. He was beginning to let his anger with Brian take over.  
  
Neither Abby nor Carter would look at the other one. This was a strange situation... Carter had never really shown his feelings towards Abby before.  
  
I- fine... but ONLY until I'm sure that Brian's gone". 


	3. Live And Let Die

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please review if you do or don't like it. I would like to know what people enjoy reading in my fics. Thanks!  
  
**********  
  
The room was still dim, only one light, located over Abby's bed, glowed. She had been sleeping for a few hours now, her distended bruises beginning to really show. Carter sat at her bedside still, his head resting atop his arm, which lay parallel to the cold, metal guardrail of her bed. He stared indolently at her decrepit body. His eyes drifted from her frail small frame, to her battered face. His hand moved leisurely along the bed sheets until it reached her warm hand. His thumb moved in a small circle, caressing the back of her hand, while his eyes never left the peaceful facial expression she slept with. He wanted nothing more than to just hold her and make her feel safe and let her know how much he really cared for her. But, the moment was ruined by the creaking sound of the exam room door behind him. Carter hurried in his attempt to collect his thoughts, which had been scattered about into wonderful reveries.  
  
"Carter?" Susan's voice came in a half-whisper.  
  
"Oh, hey! I thought you went home..." he began, remembering his previous conversation with Susan concerning Abby's condition.  
  
"Um- yeah, I did. But, I decided to stop by Abby's apartment on the way to see if they found anything... or anyone," she commenced, shortly stalling to contemplate her wording. "Isn't- I mean... wasn't- I thought Abby was an alcoholic..." she exclaimed, lowering her voice to a nearly absent whisper. She was uncomfortable with the way it had sounded out loud.  
  
Carter's expression quickly bounded to a questioning glare as he analyzed what had just been put out there.  
  
"Ye- uh- yeah, why?" he inquired, not quite knowing what to think of the situation.  
  
"Well, nothing- I mean, it could be nothing. I don't know, I just-" now she had regretted ever bringing it up. Maybe she should have just left it alone and minded her own business.  
  
"Susan, what?" Carter persisted, appearing to be growing increasingly anxious.  
  
"I- well, I went to her apartment and-it's probably nothing- but there was a half-empty glass of wine on the counter..." noticing the disbelieving look beginning to take-over over his face, Susan attempted to retract her statement and downplay it's importance, "But I'm sure it's nothing... she probably had company earlier or something..." But that didn't work and Carter only looked more and more concerned for the situation.  
  
Carter had been leaning forward in his chair, his elbows resting on his knees, to appear more attentive. After thinking about and visualizing Abby drinking again, he fell back onto his chair, using the back for his support. He turned it over and over in his mind, wondering why she would revert back to alcoholism after five years of moderation.  
  
Susan grew further more uncomfortable as the period of silence increased, "Look, I had to get home and get some sleep," she finally stated, rising from the seat she had taken opposite Carter, "I have an early shift tomorrow. Carter, please don't think too much about it... I'm really sure it's nothing".  
  
But Carter had slipped into a trance, still envisioning Abby with the glass of wine in hand. He traveled back to his own alcohol problems and where it got him... yeah, it got him three months of rehab in Atlanta. He didn't want to see that happened to Abby but was unsure of just how serious her problem was at this point. He didn't know for sure that she was drinking again but it wasn't something to just push aside in his mind without getting the facts. But there was a problem with that; there was really no way to get the facts without talking to Abby and he couldn't really picture her taking his knowledge of her drinking again very well.  
  
When he finally returned from his deliberation Susan was gone. She was, no doubt, regretting the information she had distributed. Though it was probably the best thing that she had seen it and said something because Abby didn't tend to have very strong determination when it came to temptation. However, this was something he would have to think about and organize in his mind before confronting her about it.  
  
*****  
  
Abby stirred slightly, moaning feebly at the pain that shot through her side. The snow fell outside the window, it seemed infinite but peaceful. A delicate snowfall always made the city look so beautiful. It covered everything in white powder and made it all look untouched. Grasping her side, Abby immediately took notice of Carter's warm hand embracing hers. He had drifted off to sleep, his head resting on the guardrail to her bed once again. This sight brought a slight smile to Abby's lips. She gently slipped her hand from his loose embrace, bringing it to her forehead, combing her small, thin fingers through her knotted hair. Carter stirred at this movement, gradually raising his head from the metal bar to focus on Abby.  
  
"Mornin' " she exclaimed in a mockingly cheerful voice  
  
He smiled back, massaging his eyes as they adjusted to the light, which shown brightly through the window due to the heavy snowfall, "Hey," he replied, twisting his body to stretch his arms and neck, "you can get outta here today!"  
  
Abby fell back onto the stiff, elevated hospital bed, massaging her neck with one hand, which had developed a cramp probably as a result of the way she had slept.  
  
"Stiff neck?" Carter inquired, having noticed this.  
  
"Yeah, either I slept wrong or these beds really are made of cardboard".  
  
He grinned at her attempt at humor after what had happened to her only hours before. Carter ascended from the seat he had spent the night in and sat down on the bed beside her.  
  
"Here, turn around. I'm told that I give amazing massages" he gloated, pulling his body behind her and bringing his hand to rest on her shoulder.  
  
Abby hesitated, unsure if this was appropriate for their relationship. She knew how Carter felt about her yet she was still unsure if the feelings were reciprocated. But hell, it was just a massage, right?  
  
Abby moved forward on the bed, more towards the foot-end to provide some room for Carter to fit behind her comfortably.  
  
"Really? And just who is it that enjoys your massages so much?" she asked, jokingly but with just a hint of suspicion.  
  
"Oh, well you know how I get around" he replied, arrogantly joking.  
  
His hands traveled in rotating motion at the base of her neck. She was sore from the previous night and Carter's touch was tender and caring.  
  
Hundreds of thoughts raced through his mind as dark strands of hair slipped from the ponytail, which Abby held at the side of her head, and fell lightly against his strong hands.  
  
Maybe the wineglass confrontation could wait for tomorrow...  
  
**********  
  
Thanks for reading! Please Review! 


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